Thursday, April 4, 2019

The Glorified Lamb of God

In my previous article, I explained how the Passover Lamb is a type of Christ. I alluded to the fact that in the book of Revelation, it was revealed to the apostle John that the glorified Lamb of God is revealed up in heaven. Let's take a deeper look at that together in Scripture.

The Lamb That Was Slain
John saw Him as a Lamb that was slain standing between the throne and the elders. He said, "And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth."  (Rev 5:6)

Worship the Lamb
God revealed to John that in heaven they worship the Lamb. He said, "When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints."  (Rev 5:8)

John heard the glorious sound of the angelic choir worshiping the Lamb. "Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.'"  (Rev 5:11-12)

That beautiful song was followed by a sort of chorus or response from every created thing. "And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, 'To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.'"  (Rev 5:13)

"After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."  (Rev 7:9-10)

Only the Lamb is Worthy
The Lamb is the only one who was found in heaven or on earth or under the earth who was worthy to take the scroll from the hand of Him who sits on the throne and break its seals. When the Lamb took the scroll from the hand of Him who sits on the throne, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. "And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth." (Rev 5:9-10)

The Lamb Breaks the Seals
John saw the Lamb break all seven seals on the scroll that He took from the hand of Him who sits on the throne, and after He broke each seal it was followed by a very significant event (Rev 6:1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12; 8:1).

Hiding from the Wrath of the Lamb
When the Lamb opened the sixth seal, all men hid themselves from Him and feared His wrath.

"Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?'" (Rev 6:15-17)

Washed in the Blood of the Lamb
One of the elders asked John to identify the great, countless multitude standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and tell where they came from, and here was his reply:

"I said to him, 'My lord, you know.' And he said to me, 'These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."  (Rev 7:14)

They were washed in the blood of the Lamb. Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? This is the very reason why they are before God's throne.

"For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. "They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes." (Rev 7:15-17)

Hallelujah! The Lamb will be their shepherd, and will guide them to the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Overcome by the Blood of the Lamb
Do you know how the brethren overcome their accuser who accuses them before our God day and night? They overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death." (Rev 12:11).

Follow the Lamb Wherever He Goes
John saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion with the one hundred and forty-four thousand blameless ones, who had been redeemed from the earth (Rev 14:1), who have not been defiled with women, who follow the Lamb wherever He goes, who have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb (Rev 14:4). They sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders.

The Victorious Song of the Lamb
John saw those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, holding harps of God (Rev 15:2-3).

"And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, 'Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For all the nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.'" (Rev 15:3-4)

The Lamb Overcomes His Enemies
The ten kings in the last days will wage war against the Lamb, but He will overcome them. "These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful."  (Rev 17:14)

The Marriage of the Lamb
John heard them say in heaven that there would be a marriage of the Lamb accompanied by a marriage supper. "Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, 'Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.'" (Rev 19:6-7)

"Then he said to me, 'Write: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.' And he said to me, 'These are true words of God.'"  (Rev 19:9)

The Wife of the Lamb
John was shown the wife of the Lamb. "Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, 'Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.'"  (Rev 21:9). Then John saw the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God (Rev 21:10).

The Lamb's Book of Life
John said that only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life would enter the holy city. "And nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Rev 21:27)

The Throne of God and of the Lamb
John saw a river flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. "Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb..."  (Rev 22:1)

Their throne will be in the holy city. "There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him;"  (Rev 22:3)

Putting it All Together
According to Scripture, everyone in heaven worships the Lamb, not only myriads of angels but countless multitudes of saints clothed in white robes, who were washed in the blood of the Lamb. In fact every created thing in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and in the sea worships him. For He receives blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever. We must always overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony, and follow the Lamb wherever He goes. His Bride eagerly awaits the marriage of the Lamb, to which she has been invited, and she makes herself ready for it. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life may enter the holy city and drink from the river of the water of life flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb which will be in the holy city.

Now that we have seen how the Christ, the Lamb of God, is already glorified up in heaven at this time and will be all throughout eternity, we can more fully appreciate that the Passover lamb was a type of Christ. I trust this has helped to accomplish that very goal in your life as you have read this article. I hope you will come back again later to enjoy more articles on the types in the Bible.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, copyright Lockman Foundation, used by permission. Other Scriptures where noted taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Image may be subject to copyright, used per Fair Use Act for commentary and educational purposes only. No copyright infringement intended.

Author's note Also see The Passover Lamb is a Type of Christ, The Typology of the Tabernacle, Isaac as a Type of Christ, Noah's Ark a Type of Christ, and The Temple as a Type of Christ. You can access the Main Directory for Biblical Typology, or my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master. Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
__________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

No comments:

Post a Comment